How Movies Can Help Robots and People Get Along

How can people learn to work better with robots? First, have them watch robots on the silver screen. That's the finding of a recent study that had 56 undergraduate students rate their feelings toward humanlike service robots. Half of the group watched the science-fiction movie "Robot and Frank," which involved a robot, and the other half watched "Safety Not Guaranteed," a sci-fi romantic comedy that didn't involve robots, before they made their decision. The result: Those who viewed the movie with the robot were more likely to say that they would buy humanoid robots that assist the elderly.